Newbie with some questions

[CheekyChels]

My name is Chelsea and I’m new to this site. I’ve been reading a lot of hermit info over the past few weeks and this is one of the best sites I’ve seen so I decided to make an account. I think I’m pretty knowledgeable on their habitat conditions but I’m questioning their diet just a little bit. Where would I post my weekly diet plan so I can see if I’m doing this right? I just want to make sure my crabs have the best they can have. Also, if there is anyone that has any suggestions about things that new crabbers usually make mistakes on I’m all ears! Thanks for having such a great site

[Crabby7Crabber]

Welcome, Chelsea! I've been here for about 1 1/2 months now, and I'll assure you it's awesome! You should post in the Food Forum if you want to ask questions about their diet/etc. Please create a new topic and we'll try to help you out the best we can! There's a lot of food I can suggest. Just make sure to stay away from commercial food and offer fresh meats, protein, fruits, veggies, and calcium daily!

[DevilNDisguise]

Along with what Crabby7Crabber said, I will add a couple of links to some of my favorite forums.

A list of safe foods for them to eat: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92557

Scroll down on this one and you'll find a food pyramid that someone made that could help assist you with their diet: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554

[curlysister]

I think one of the biggest mistakes new crabbers make is not being patient enough with molting crabs. There have been a number of people who have said 'I knew I shouldn't dig, but....' dug up their crabs anyways. The only time a person should consider digging up a crab is when there is an emergency such as a flood or bacterial bloom. In the 9+ years I have had my crabs, I dug Cher up once when there was a flood. This was after much consideration about whether I should or not. I decided (with the help of others here on the HCA) that the risk she was at because of the flooding was greater than the risk of digging her up.

[Motörcrab]

Curly is right about molting crabs and digging. Pretty much they do what they want to do so let them be a crab.

I think the biggest issues with setting up crabitats are size, heating, and humidity.
Smaller crabitats, 20 gallons and under are usually more difficult to maintain the proper heat and humidity.
For heating pads don't follow what it says on the box. Don't get a pad for a 10 gallon tank that is for a 10 gallon. You need one that covers as much of the rear of the tank as possible.

I always suggest to read through all of the care guides several times. They are really helpful and very detailed. The guides cover almost everything you need to know about hermit crabs.

[CheekyChels]

Curly, do you have any tips on how to prevent flooding? I haven’t had that happen and honestly don’t know much about that. Is that just when your substrate gets too wet? I’ve heard you can add some sand if you have too much moisture but obviously you can’t do that if you have a molter. I’m using a 5:1 of ee and playsand btw

[CheekyChels]

Motorcrab I’ve seen you on this website so much and I’m always reading your posts since they are so detailed lol. I don’t have a uth since they tend to always trip the breakers in my rv but I have some reflective padding (idk what it’s called honestly) and the heat from my space heaters and gaming consoles keep their tank at a pretty nice temp that usually stays around 80 degrees. I know it’s probably not a good idea to have my Xbox right next to their tank but it’s the only set up I have right now with my limited space lol. I do check and make sure their substrate isn’t too wet or dry and I also mist their cage when I notice the humidity is a little low which is rare. They are in a 12 gallon take I think? Maybe it’s 15 gal I’m not too sure. I also use a straw to poke little holes in the substrate to try to get some airflow down there and not cause mold.

[Motörcrab]

You probably are using Reflectix. It looks similar to aluminum foil bubble wrap.

Under tank heaters don't really consume much power compared to an Xbox or space heaters.
4-24 watts UTH
72 watts XBox One
1500 watts space heater
It sounds like everything is plugged into one or two outlets on the same circuit and are drawing too much power causing the breaker to trip.
I'm not sure how RV's are set up but if there are different breakers for different areas, plugging into a different breaker may stop tripping breakers.
If it happens a lot, I would definitely have it looked at by a professional. It could potentially be a fire hazard.

Pretty much the same principal as a house. If you are running the fridge, washer, and microwave on one circuit. You may be able to run two out of the three no problem, but trip breakers if you run the third.